Unbearably handsome opera-pop quartet
Il Divo deliver another amorous collection of European housecleaning ballads with
Ancora, an album so riddled with Cupid's arrows that it requires its own storage unit. Once again, David Miller,
Sébastien Izambard, Urs Buhler, and
Carlos Marin bring the love in Spanish, English, and Italian, emoting over classical and opera standards, as well as some notable contemporary compositions. They fawn over
Celine Dion -- who can barely contain her own affections -- on "Isabel," and make
Mariah Carey's "Hero" sound like the rolling of credits over a
Jerry Bruckheimer action/tragedy blockbuster, all the while maintaining the perfect pitch and impeccable showmanship that are their stock-in-trade. Fans who flocked to
Il Divo's self-titled debut and 2005
Christmas Collection need no reassurances that their boys are in top form, as a recent appearance on Oprah brought the quartet into the homes of millions of potential converts, but in this age of manufactured goods over artisan rusticity, it's hard not to look at
Ancora as the classical crossover equivalent of a bistro-style TV dinner. ~ James Christopher Monger